Gazing into Beauty, Gazing into Death

The Slovenian premiere of A Melancholic Croquis at the Grand Union Hall in Ljubljana is first and foremost a theatre event as classical theatre, a social event and a scientific experiment.

Neuroart – A Melancholic Croquis

Our WhiteBox EEG platform was used in a play named Melancholical Croquis which was directed by Matej Filipčič. Brain activity from one of the spectators was recorded and remotely displayed in real time as a part of the play.

The event was conceived and directed by Matej Filipčič, who also designed the set, while the texts were selected and adapted by Sonja Dular. The costume designer Alan Hranitelj proved his mastery, the video was made by Andrej Intihar, the photographs taken by Mara Mutić, the lighting was designed by Igor Remeta, the graphic identity was designed by Rok Marinšek, and the movement choreographed by Tanja Zgonc. In short, a whole theatrical creative team was involved even though it was “merely” a croquis.The performers were Romana Šalehar (Melancholy), Jožica Avbelj (Philosophy), Boris Cavazza (Art), Urban Kordeš (Science), mezzo-soprano Mirjam Tola and the waiters and waitresses of the Grand Hotel Union in Ljubljana, which is celebrating its anniversary and whose architecture fits with the very content of Death in Venice.Filipčič’s A Melancholic Croquis drew the magisterial activities of society, art, science and business to a joint engagement in raising the questions about experiencing and comprehending one’s ethical stance, which is today certainly in need of the broadest consideration. Melancholy – what does it mean for an individual and the entire society? Is it a path to destruction or creation?